order ftill would be but fruitleffe and defective to that end whereto ye meant it. If to prevent fects and fchifms, who is fo unread or fo uncatechis'd in story, that hath not heard of many sects refusing books as a hindrance, and preferving their doctrine unmixt for many ages, only by unwritt'n traditions. The Christian faith, for that was once a schism, is not unknown to have spread all over Afia, ere any Gospel or Epistle was seen in writing. If the amendment of manners be aym'd at, look into Italy and Spain, whether those places be one scruple the better, the honefter, the wiser, the chaster, since all the inquifitionall rigor that hath bin executed upon books.

Another reason, whereby to make it plain that this order will miffe the end it feeks, confider by the quality which ought to be in every licencer. It cannot be deny'd but that he who is made judge to fit upon the birth, or death of books whether they may be wafted into this world, or not, had need to be a man above the common measure, both studious, learned, and judicious; there may be elfe no mean mistakes in the censure of what is paffable or not; which is also no mean injury. If he be of fuch worth as behoovs him, there cannot be a more tedious and unpleafing journey-work, a greater loffe of time levied upon his head, then to be made the perpetuall reader of unchofen books and pamphlets, oftimes huge volumes. There is no book that is acceptable unleffe at certain seasons; but to be enjoyn'd the reading of that at all times, and in a hand scars legible, whereof three pages would not down at any time in the fairest Print, is an impofition which I cannot beleeve how he that values time, and his own ftudies, or is but of a sensible noftrill should be able to endure. In this one thing I crave leave of the present licencers to be pardon'd for fo thinking: who doublesse took this office up, looking on it through their obedience to the Parlament, whose command perhaps made all things seem eafie and unlaborious to them; but that this short triall hath wearied them out already, their own expreffions and excuses to them who make fo many journeys to follicit

their licence, are teftimony anough. Seeing therefore those who now poffeffe the imployment, by all evident figns with themselves weli ridd of it, and that no man of worth, none that is not a plain unthrift of his own hours is ever likely to fucceed them, except he mean to put himself to the salary of a Presse-corrector, we may eafily foresee what kind of licencers we are to expect hereafter, either ignorant, imperious, and remiffe, or bafely pecuniary. This is what I had to shew wherein this order cannot conduce to that end, whereof it bears the intention.

I laftly proceed from the no good it can do, to the manifest hurt it causes, in being first the greatest discouragement and affront that can be offer'd to learning and to learned men. It was the complaint and lamentation of Prelats, upon every least breath of a motion to remove pluralities, and distribute more equally Church revennu's, that then all learning would be for ever dasht and discourag'd. But as for that opinion, I never found cause to think that the tenth part of learning stood or fell with the Clergy: nor could I ever but hold it for a fordid and unworthy speech of any Churchman who had a competency left him. If therefore ye be loath to dishearten utterly and discontent, not the mercenary crew of false pretenders to learning, but the free and ingenuous fort of fuch as evidently were born to study, and love lerning for it self, not for lucre, or any other end, but the service of God and of truth, and perhaps that lafting fame and perpetuity of praise which God and good men have consented shall be the reward of those whose publisht labours advance the good of mankind, then know, that so far to diftrust the judgement and the honefty of one who hath but a common repute in learning, and never yet offended, as not to count him fit to print his mind without a tutor and examiner, left he should drop a scism, or fomething of corruption, is the greatest displeasure and indignity to a free and knowing spirit that can be put upon him. What advantage is it to be a man over it is to be a boy at school, if we have only capt the

ferular, to come under the fescu of an Imprimatur? if ferious and elaborat writings, as if they were no more then the theam of a Grammar lad under his Pedagogue must not be utter'd without the curfory eyes of a temporizing and extemporizing licencer. He who is not trusted with his own actions, his drift not being known to be evill, and standing to the hazard of law and penalty, has no great argument to think himself reputed in the Commonwealth wherein he was born, for other then a fool or a foreiner. When a man writes to the world, he fummons up all his reason and deliberation to assist him; he fearches, meditats, is industrious, and likely confults and conferrs with his judicious friends; after all which done he takes himself to be inform'd in what he writes, as well as any that writ before him; if in this the most confummat act of his fidelity and ripenesse, no years, no industry, no former proof of his abilities can bring him to that state of maturity, as not to be still mistrusted and suspected, unleffe he carry all his confiderat diligence, all his midnight watchings, and expence of Palladian oyl, to the hafty view of an unleasur’d licencer, perhaps much his younger, perhaps far his inferiour in judgement, perhaps one who never knew the labour of book-writing, and if he be not repulst, or flighted, must appear in Print like a punie with his guardian, and his cenfors hand on the back of his title to be his bayl and furety, that he is no idiot, or feducer, it cannot be but a dishonor and derogation to the author, to the book, to the priviledge and dignity of Learning. And what if the author fhall be one fo copious of fancie, as to have many things well worth the adding, come into his mind after licencing, while the book is yet under the Preffe, which not seldom happ'ns to the best and diligenteft writers; and that perhaps a dozen times in one book. The Printer dares not go beyond his licenc't copy; so often then must the author trudge to his leavgiver, that those his new insertions may be viewd; and many a jaunt will be made, ere that licencer, for it must be the same man, can either be found, or found at leisure;

mean while either the Presse must stand still, which is no small damage, or the author loose his accuratest thoughts, and send the book forth wors then he had made it, which to a diligent writer is the greatest melancholy and vexation that can befall. And how can a man teach with autority, which is the life of teaching, how can he be a Doctor in his book as he ought to be, or else had better be silent, whenas all he teaches, all he delivers, is but under the tuition, under the correction of his patriarchal licencer to blot or alter what precisely accords not with the hidebound humor which he calls his judgement. When every acute reader upon the first fight of a pedantick licence, will be ready with these like words to ding the book a coits distance from him, I hate a pupil teacher, I endure not an instructer that comes to me under the wardship of an overseeing fist. I know nothing of the licencer, but that I have his own hand here for his arrogance; who shall warrant me his judgement? The State Sir, replies the Stationer, but has a quick return, The State shall be my governours, but not my criticks; they may be mistak'n in the choice of a licencer, as easily as this licencer may be mistak'n in an author: This is fome common ftuffe; and he might adde from Sir Francis Bacon, That fuch authoriz'd books are but the language of the times. For though a licencer should happ'n to be judicious more then ordnary, which will be a great jeopardy of the next fucceffion, yet his very office, and his commission enjoyns him to let passe nothing but what is vulgarly receiv'd already. Nay, which is more lamentable, if the work of any deceased author, though never so famous in his life time, and even to this day, come to their hands for licence to be Printed, or Reprinted, if there be found in his book one sentence of a ventrous edge, utter'd in the height of zeal, and who knows whether it might not be the dictat of a divine Spirit, yet not fuiting with every low decrepit humor of their own, though it were Knox himself, the Reformer of a Kingdom that spake it, they will not pardon him their dash: the sense of that great man shall to all posterity be

loft, for the fearfulnesse, or the presumptuous rashnesse of a perfunctory licencer. And to what an author this violence hath bin lately done, and in what book of greatest consequence to be faithfully publisht, I could now inftance, but shall forbear till a more convenient season. Yet if these things be not refented seriously and timely by them who have the remedy in their power, but that fuch iron moulds as these shall have autority to knaw out the choisest periods of exquifiteft books, and to commit fuch a treacherous fraud against the orphan remainders of worthiest men after death, the more forrow will belong to that haples race of men, whose misfortune it is to have understanding. Henceforth let no man care to learn, or care to be more then worldly wife; for certainly in higher matters to be ignorant and flothfull, to be a common stedfast dunce will be the only pleasant life, and only in request.

And as it is a particular disesteem of every knowing perfon alive, and most injurious to the writt'n labours and monuments of the dead, so to me it seems an undervaluing and vilifying of the whole Nation. I cannot fet fo light by all the invention, the art, the wit, the grave and folid judgement which is in England, as that it can be comprehended in any twenty capacities how good foever, much leffe that it should not paffe except their superintendence be over it, except it be fifted and strain'd with their strainers, that it should be uncurrant without their manuall ftamp. Truth and understanding are not fuch wares as to be monopoliz'd and traded in by tickets and statutes, and standards. We must not think to make a staple commodity of all the knowledge in the Land, to mark and licence it like our broad cloath, and our wooll packs. What is it but a fservitude like that impos'd by the Philiftims, not to be allow'd the sharpning of our own axes and coulters, but we must repair from all quarters to twenty licencing forges. Had any one writt'n and divulg'd erroneous things and fcandalous to honest life, misusing and forfeiting the esteem had of his reason among men, if